The Secret to Clockwork
by LeighEm
Summary: "We are shaped by the moments that pass us the very second they are created." Using her natural born gift, Molly is ordered to live in Castanet Island under cover as a farmer in order to figure out the solution to its strange epidemic. But when she happens to unravel more secrets than she anticipated, she realizes that there is more at stake than just fairy tales and ghost stories.
1. Defining Moments

_The Secret to Clockwork_

Chapter 1: Defining Moments

* * *

"It's funny, how things work."

A gentle breeze played with my hair. It tickled my eyelids but I refused to remove my hands from the warmth of my coat pockets to stop it. Instead, I closed my eyes and tilted my head back to face the sunless sky.

Winter was fast approaching, I could smell it in the air. The end of days were becoming sooner with each new dawn.

"I never thought I'd be standing here today, you know."

An ironic smile graced my lips. I shrugged my shoulders and clenched my fists as I prepared for a new gust of chilled air to toss my hair around once more.

I opened my eyes to never-ending grey clouds swiftly passing over head, they painted the grass and trees around me in a muted color palate. Morning was swiftly becoming afternoon. Everything passed by quickly these days.

Whenever I was given the 'if you could have any super power in the world, what would it be?' scenario as a child, I always chose the ability to stop time. To freeze it in its tracks so I could never let another moment slip through my fingers and into one of life's many historical voids. Once they pass through they are never seen again. Maybe that's what hurts the most.

To live in the now is an impossible feat to accomplish. Just as you are living the moment, it is ultimately passing you by and before you know it, you are no longer in the present. We are made up of our memories, experiences, nostalgia. We are shaped by our pasts. Then why is it cruelly so that we cannot experience those moments again? Those feelings, those emotions. The euphoria that was once felt as a child on Christmas morning while opening up your first gift, or the nervous exhilaration of your first kiss. These moments pass us by the very second they are created.

Mother always told me that the hardest thing in this world is to live in it.

Then why have I still not learned?

"You're wondering how long I'm going to stand here brooding, I know. Stop looking at me that way, I can feel your eyes rolling when you think I don't see."

I let out a huff of breath only to see it materialize in front of me. Was it really that cold out here?

I crouched down so that I could pick up the scarlet leaf that lay at my feet. I twirled the stem in between my index finger and my thumb. The colors were staring to blur.

"Hey," I continued to stare at my leaf. "Do you remember that one time? You know, when I- when..."

I swallowed. I knew this would get harder eventually. Give me time.

"I...it's getting harder to remember even for myself. I can only imagine what it must be like for you." I tried to swallow again but my mouth was getting dry.

"How about I just start from the beginning, okay? That way neither of us can forget anymore." I set the leaf back on the ground where I had found it. I rested my hand on it, giving it a soft pat. "You're lucky I happen to be in the story telling mood."

Finally, I rocked back off of my heels and onto my bottom. Dead grass crunched under the impact.

"Well, go ahead and get comfortable. You at least remember how long this story is, right?" I removed my hands from my pockets with a sigh and rested my forearms across my knees, holding my hands together in between them.

"It all began when I nearly missed that darned boat," I smiled. "I didn't even want to catch it in the first place, mind you."

My hair began tickling my eyelids again but this time it wasn't the cold that stopped me from interfering.

oOo

"This is ridiculous, magic doesn't exist."

"Stop being so closed minded, given the nature of your duties you'd think that you'd be used to these revelations." Pause. "Molly, please sit back down...there's more to it than-"

"No!" I let out a strangled and exasperated breath. "You know what? I'm done with this. I'm done being your messenger pigeon or knight in shining armor or whatever." I strode over to the desk and slammed my palms down on the neat piles of paperwork. They weren't so neat anymore. Whoops.

"I'm done, Uncle."

The room grew silent and my gaze had begun to waver. I slowly turned away from his piercing stare. He looked impassive...perhaps with a tinge of boredom? I could feel my anger boiling back to the surface so I quickly folded my arms across my chest and turned towards the window before I caused anymore damage.

"You know that you never had to do any of this in the first place, Molly. Every decision was yours to make from the start," his voice bounced off of my back.

I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of the sunlight streaming in through the glass on my eyelids. He was right, I was acting as if he never gave me a choice in these matters but the exit had always been readily available. Then why did I always feel so obligated?

"I'm sorry that you feel as conflicted as you do, it's understandable. It really is a pity that Angela wasn't born with the gift that you possess. It would have made all of this much easier."

There he went again. Voicing my thoughts like he could see into my damned mind or something. Stupid old man, maybe sometimes I'd like to play the denial card even for a few minutes. That's what normal people do when they don't want to confront something, so why couldn't I?

I sighed. I already knew the answer.

I turned around to face Uncle once more, my arms still crossed over my chest in an immature fashion. "So let me get this straight- you want me to head to a secluded and densely populated island that maybe point five percent of the world has heard of. Pretend to act like I know what the difference is between a farming hoe and a city one. Then use this new found knowledge to help strengthen an already piss-poor excuse for a cover by day; and snoop around for clues leading to a solution for the dying state of the island by night. Not to mention that said solution has no factual evidence of actually existing except for in the fairy tales that parents tell their children to get them to shut up and sleep at night."

I inhaled then let out a huff a breath. Uncle's face remained stoic as ever.

"For lack of better words- yes."

"Do you understand how ridiculous this sounds, Uncle!?" I threw my hands up in exasperation. I was getting nowhere.

He folded his hands together and rested them in his lap while reclining further into his thickly padded office chair. "Of course I do, Molly. Maybe perhaps to the average person but you know that as well as I, you weren't born into an average family."

"It's not fair," I tried to say this as maturely as possible. It was quite a lot harder than it seemed. "Angela gets to be an average person and live in blissful ignorance and she's my sister!"

"Yes, because she wasn't born with the gift that you were," Uncle sat forward in his seat and roughly tapped a finger on his desk. Probably to accentuate his point but it just made me more frustrated. "The gift that was passed down to you by your father, and your grandfather before him. Must I keep going?"

Another sigh. He keeps using the word 'gift' and I just find it ironically humorous. "Yeah I got it, old man. Next you're going to go on about how I'm the last one in the family lineage to be granted this 'gift'", I raised my fingers in quotations. I was still being childish, see how much I care, "But that's funny, considering you have the same power, I still have yet to see you use it."

Now it was Uncle's turn to sigh. I suddenly had a curious thought of how much carbon dioxide was in the room at this moment. Maybe I should tell him to invest in a few more house plants.

"Molly, you know that my days as a spiritual detective are over. I have grown in age and your father is passed. Our generation's reign has ended, and it is time for yours to take over."

"When you say 'your generation', you actually mean just me," I tightened my lips in a thin line. The isolation that I had to endure throughout my adolescence because of this power was still a sore subject. Uncle was aware.

"We don't know this for certain, there is the very real possibility that there are others out there. Just because we are the only family to have an ongoing record of this gift doesn't mean that there are more that exist."

My legs were starting to ache and make those gross popping noises every time I bent a knee so I unwillingly sat back down in my chair on the other side of his desk. "Right, sorry I haven't been going up to every stranger I meet while grocery shopping and ask, 'Hey! Do you per chance happen to possess a strange power that allows you to not only occasionally see dead people but mystical spirits as well? If so, we should be friends!'"

Uncle gave me his signature dry face. You know, where everything on his face kind of looks like a straight line. I tend to bring that face out of him a lot.

"We are bound to secrecy, Molly. There is a reason for this. If there are others then they are in the same position as us, so you can't expect them to willingly admit what they have." He leaned forward to fold his hands on his desk and assumed his professional posture. Well, that's what I call it anyways. "It does seem that this possibility is unlikely, considering the event that one of our ancestors running into somebody other than family while on the job has never been recorded. However, you never know, Molly. I always tell you how uncharacteristically close minded you are as a spiritual detective for a reason."

When I remained quiet he closed his eyes briefly, perhaps rejoicing in the fact that I finally had no words left. When he opened them, they no longer held the impassive boredom that I had become accustomed to during this meeting but instead it was passionate. Determined.

"This is the work we do because nobody else can. Please keep this in mind. It is the burden we bare so all of those 'average' citizens can live in peaceful unawares."

My thoughts strayed to my sister and her care free smile.

"The door is behind you if you wish to turn down these duties," he raised an arm, gesturing past my shoulder, "but keep in mind that the entire well-being of this island could crumble and then possibly affect life near its territory, spreading to God knows how far."

My hand fell into my lap and I gave a sideways eye roll, "When you say it like that, I really don't have a choice, do I?"

"You always have a choice, Molly."

"Yeah," I dramatically gesticulated my arms in a big swinging motion. "A choice between what's right and what's wrong. The answer is obvious as to what I should do, then why are you even bothering to give me an option?"

Suddenly, his eyes seemed to glaze over only momentarily. A touch of sadness and then it was gone. Replaced with his usual unwavering stare.

"Because, Molly. Believe it or not some people don't pick the obvious answer." The sunlight that had been streaming through the window pane just minutes prior vanished behind a wall of grey clouds. Rain would be moving in soon. "That's simply the way of the world."

I tried to hold his gaze but I faltered again before looking away entirely. I glanced off to my right, my eyes catching the now overcast and vast landscape. Uncle's office was situated on the third floor of the Greenwood estate, the back curved wall was made up of entirely of glass. The view was beautiful, even that was an understatement. The hills and valleys stretched on for miles, accented by droplets of color that were made up of wildflowers. My mind began to stray and I remembered a time much simpler than my life now where my sister and I chased each other in fields of rainbows. Now we're worlds apart living two distinctly different lives.

"So what will it be?"

A simple life. A life without worry, obligation, isolation. A life where I am average like everyone else. Normalcy. Angela's life.

Or a life filled with danger. Uncertainty and the weight of the world. A life I was meant to live but will ultimately end it. My life.

We all make choices everyday, what to wear, what to say, where to go. We get the option to choose even though it may seem like we don't, they are just covered by the veil of what we think we have to do. What other's think we have to do. I make a choice every time Uncle calls for a meeting, a choice to end it all or to save others so they don't have to decide. It's unfair, sure as hell it is. I never asked for this. This _responsibility_. But it's what is expected of me by others. It's what is expected of me by myself.

My mind had been made up all along, I just didn't want to realize it.

I glanced up at the clock on the wall. Five minutes. A new record in getting to play the denial card, it's a pity it couldn't have lasted longer. Oh well, it was bittersweet while it lasted.

"Give me the papers. In what rural part of the world is this island that it's so deserted."

* * *

**A/N: **You made it to the typically long introductory author's note at the bottom of the page. Congratulations! That means you enjoyed it enough to keep reading, right? At least I hope so. First let me say this: No, The Flowers of Tomorrow is not forever discontinued so if you are a reader of my other Harvest Moon story then don't fret. I've just switched gears for the time being, however long that may be, I'm not sure.

What spurred the creation of such an unusual take on a Harvest Moon game plot? Well, if you've read my other story then you know I like to deviate..._a lot_...from the canon story line but not so much that it's AU. Does that make sense? I like to accent upon what already exists and blow it up to nice big proportions. I call it: giving my characters personality and purpose. He he. This time, I have used the world of Castenet and its inhabitants for my playing grounds and hopefully take them in a direction you all have never thought of before.

This plot came to me during one of my mornings dedicated to playing Animal Parade and I must say, I'm _so _excited to share it with you all. I like to believe my writing has improved since TFoT and I hope to make this story even better. So get read for a wild ride of adventure, romance, angst, death, ghosts, and...time travel? Wait, wasn't this a story about the Harvest Goddess? Guess you gotta stay tuned.

As always, don't hesitate to leave a review and let me know your thoughts so far. Hopefully I haven't turned anyone away just yet.

Enjoy the ride!


	2. Daylight

Chapter Two: Daylight

* * *

_At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.__ - Barbara Bush_

One-hundred and ten seconds. That's all I had left to catch the ship that Uncle had arranged a round trip ticket for me to board. I was given precisely seven months to complete my task. It was the next available date when the ship would be returning. My fate was sealed.

"More than enough time," Uncle had said, because if I couldn't save the island by then- it would succumb to its fate by then anyways. There goes that feeling again where the world has managed to perch itself on my shoulders; and to think I always wonder how it gets there. Man, this whole saving the island thing was sounding more and more enticing by the second. Speaking of seconds, I only had just about sixty-two.

"Excuse me, pardon," I was flying through the throngs of people. Crowds that congregated to send off their loved ones. Apparently this same ship was stopping at the docks of several continents along the way, I was the last one. Just my luck. "Coming through! _Move!_" I grimaced, maybe that was a little too forceful. Sorry random couple making out in the middle of a crowded pier. I could feel their hostile stares as I continued to flee through the masses, whatever, I was used to the hostility.

"But Mommy, why did Daddy have to leave on that big boat?" A kid just ahead of me was clinging to his mother's skirt and using it as his personal handkerchief.

"Because sweetie, he has business that he needs..."

Voices were coming at me from all directions as I darted past their owners. Children crying, wives waving, husbands tipping their hats, brothers and sisters wrestling. And then there was me, alone and violently ruining their goodbyes. Whoops. Hey, it wasn't my fault that I got hung up on a prior engagement, a dead one to be exact. I hate when that happens, I'm trying to get somewhere and confused ghosts want my help. I'm being dramatic- it's not every day that happens, perhaps every once and a while, every other month sort of deal. But of _course _their timing seems to be impeccable.

It was really too bad I didn't have the heart to tell that poor mother and her child that their husband actually hadn't even made it aboard the ship. He was mugged in a back alley on his way to deposit a few coins in a newspaper stand. He had left for the ship ten minutes early. He was stabbed and left for dead behind a dumpster, they would find the body soon enough. Now he would never make it on time.

"What is going on, please, I don't understand," the man had cried to me. At first I hadn't realized he was one of the dead, he looked so _fresh_ and solid. Still alive. It had only been moments earlier when he had left this world, he was lucky I happened to be passing through on my way to the pier, luggage in hand. I gazed at the man- I hated this part of my job.

"I- I need to make this ship. I have a business opportunity in Brithombar, but- but I can't seem to find anything...or touch anything. My briefcase, have you seen it?" The man had short dark hair and his bangs were laced with blood. He didn't even realize. Must have put up a fight and received a blow to the head.

They never remember right away, it comes to them in bits and pieces. It's tragic, really.

The man began wandering away, desperately looking at the ground. It was then that I noticed blood was seeping down the back of his khaki trench coat. It started at the nape of his neck, knife wound. He most likely died instantly.

"Sir..." he was mumbling to himself. Great. The non coherent kind.

"Sir," I tried again and reached out to him. He finally jerked back towards me and met my eyes with his own. He looked so confused.

"Come with me," I turned on my heel and turned the corner where I had caught a glimpse of the body on my way to the docks. There he was, slumped down in a slouched sitting position complete with a small trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. His hat had fallen off in the struggle it looked like. Some may think I'm heartless for not calling for help in a frantic manner in the first place, but the truth is, I see this stuff all the time. There's no point in calling for help, it won't bring what's dead back to life. Trust me. I've tried.

I stole a glance at the ghost of said man to my left, his look reflected shock, confusion, sadness. The three most dominant and typical emotions in the stage of acceptance. The man slowly sunk down to one of his knees staring at the unconscious mirrored image of himself. A few moments passed until I realized he had tears on his cheeks, it must be hitting him hard. I was surprised- usually it takes a while for the denial to ebb away but this man seemed to realize instantly.

"Am I...am I dead?" The voice had been so quiet I could have assumed that it was a whisper of the wind in my ear but as soon as I caught the spirit's melancholy stare I knew that I had heard correctly.

This is what I protect everyone else from. What I protect Angela from. This tragic heartache- kids who have died too soon, mothers not old enough to succumb to the sickness of age, husbands that have so much yet to teach. I've perfected the art of keeping my emotions locked away. I'm callous because I have to be. It is only thing that keeps me sane. If I allowed myself to mourn for every passing soul that I come across then there is no way I'd be able to live in this world. It must be why I was chosen for this and not Angela; my sister who would risk a limb to protect a puppy.

I crouched down next to the figure of the man, he was turning more and more transparent ever so slightly. My eyes softened as I continued to stare at his crumbling face until he used his hands to cover it.

"This...this can't be happening," he choked back a sob. "There's still so much that I- so much I still wanted to experience...my son. My _wife_...no..."

If I could touch him I would have put a comforting hand on his shoulder but not only would that be impossible, it was unnecessary in the first place. I must erase any trace of compassionate sadness I feel for this man.

In the distance I could hear the clanging of a bell and a warning for boarding passengers that there was only seven minutes left until the ship would leave the docks. I was torn, I needed to board that ship but it's not like I even wanted to- I had been dreading this day for months. And this man...

"They will be okay, you can't allow yourself to mourn for what you can't control. It isn't fair what happened to you, but you've got to understand that they will be alright." I tried to give him a soft smile but it probably looked more like a twitch in the corner of my mouth.

He continued to fight his strangling sobs and slowly removed his hands from his face. He stared at the ground, "Who will protect them now that I'm gone?"

My heart seemed to leap from my throat and a cold feeling began to seep down through my chest. Who will protect them now that I'm gone? I have heard that question too many times, it struck too close to home.

"I..."

My eyes began to well up on their own accord. What was wrong with me? Stop it, Molly. Stop.

"I-"

Slowly, I moved my fingers across the paved ground only to neatly fit inside the man's own. He followed my hand with his eyes that suddenly seemed to be filled with longing. Only minutes prior he had been able to smell, taste, _feel._ He was alive and now he was dead. It only took a second for all of that to be stripped away. This world was cruel. Fairness was not dispersed equally.

I mustered the will to finally tear my gaze away from our hands to the man's tear stained face. "If you want me to tell you the truth, there won't be any one to protect them now. Nobody that will ever be able to replace you. Not really. Nobody asked for the life that they were given nor do they ask for it to end whenever their time comes- it just _does._ But if we sit here and waste our God given time then it will get us nowhere and we will become stuck. Just hollow shells of who we were." I blinked and a tear rolled down my cheek, paving a wet line through my dry skin. "It is the only thing we as human beings can control and you cannot allow that to happen to you!"

I took a deep breath, my chest heaving with the thumping of my heart. My cry seemed to echo around me all the way down the alley way. Or maybe it was all inside my head. We continued to stare at each other as the moments passed us by and I began to grow afraid that I pushed him away even further.

Then the strangest thing happened.

The man smiled. Not a fake smile that you use for pictures or an enthusiastic smile when you see a long lost friend, but a small smile. A content one.

"Reach inside my coat pocket...the one on my real..."

He didn't need to finish, I understood. Hesitantly, I undid the flap of his matted trench coat on his slumped form. I reached inside and my fingers closed on something solid and chilled to the touch. A pocket watch.

"Can you...can you give this to my son? It was my grandfather's. He always told me that time was the most valuable coin there is, that is why he carried this watch instead of change in his coat pockets. I always did the same and I would like for my son to as well."

I nodded.

"If I can, I'd like to watch over them just a little longer."

My eyes softened again, "Of course. Take your time."

More shouting could be heard in the distance. Three minutes until the ship left the docks.

I wanted to say something more to this man, one of the only spirits that had stirred something deep inside me. An emotion that I had always tried to contain. The words, however, escaped me. I hoped that my eyes would convey everything that I wanted to say to him in that moment. I like to think that he understood.

In one quick motion, I stood on my feet with the pocket watch in hand then turned to flee down the alley way and back to where all of this started.

"Thank you."

A whisper in the wind? Probably not. I kept running.

* * *

What I didn't tell you before about the kid and his mom, was that while I didn't have the strength to tell them about the man in the alley way, I did however, swiftly deposit the cool metal timekeeper into the woman's purse. With her arms snugly wrapped around her child, she didn't even take notice.

I smiled to myself as I sprinted passed. Sometimes there was a silver lining to what I do.

I looked ahead as I grew closer towards the large ship. Three massive columns were jutting out of the top followed by clouds of dark smoke that snaked out of them and into the blue sky. Throngs of passengers were lined against the rails, wavering down below. At least the trip to the island wouldn't be so bad, riding on something so large suddenly seemed a little exciting.

Just then, a loud horn reverberated throughout the docks. I could even feel it in the wooden planks that I ran on. My luggage slammed into my calves on every step.

"Last call! The ship is now departing!" A man in uniform began waving his left hand in the air while his right was neatly cupped over his mouth to magnify his voice.

No, no, Stop! I needed on that ship!

I thought I couldn't run any faster but somehow I managed to double my speed. I was running so fast that that everything around me began to blur together. Contrary to my efforts, a sinking feeling in my stomach told me that I wasn't going to make it. I needed more time, just a little more time!

Ahead of me, the walkway that connected the dock to the ship began retracting. Didn't they see me running here?

"Wait!" I screamed but my voice was drowned out by the hundreds of others surrounding me. This was like one of those bad dreams where no matter how fast you try to run, you're just pulled further into place. Moving somewhere but inevitably nowhere.

I need more time! Please, I can't fail now!

"_I need time_!"

People all around me were talking and bustling, bustling and talking. Seagulls squawking as they flew around my head and landed on nearby railing poles. The blare of the ship's horn encompassed my thoughts, echoing down to my toes. The officer yelled above the crowds, announcing its departure. A child screaming. A mother crying. My heartbeat in my ears as I pumped my legs as fast as they could possibly go.

Then suddenly, everything was quiet.

It was the kind of quiet that you very rarely get the chance to hear. The kind where a pen could be dropped and it would cause you to jump out of your skin because it's so loud. It was the kind of quiet that only the dead could experience, where even the ringing in your ears was hardly detectible.

I slowed my pace to a walk, my breathing was coming in raspy sharp breaths. Frantically, I glanced around the once lively pier only to see statues in the place of anything and everyone that had been moving moments prior. I pulled my eyebrows together in confusion. This wasn't happening- this had to be a dream. Stuff like this didn't happen in real life.

Slowly, I approached a woman who was clutching a hand bag to her chest and was in the middle of raising her arm above her head to wave at the departing ship. Tears reflected in the sunlight. I reached out a hesitant hand to grab the woman's forearm and was surprised to find out that she wasn't solid like you would expect a statue to be. It was as though her body had stiffened and held its place but the exterior didn't mirror the same effects. I poked her skin only to feel the suppleness of it sag under my touch, just how it should be.

I could feel the crease on my forehead begin to form as my eyebrows continued to stay knitted together. I cocked my head slightly to the left and began waving a hand in front of the woman's eyes- no response. Even her eyeballs seemed to be frozen.

Before the panic began to set in, I quickly looked away from the woman and down to the bag that I held in my hand. Wasn't this what I wanted? A little more time? Maybe I was only imaging this and in reality I had fainted for whatever reason and missed the ship anyways. Maybe none of this existed and I was asleep, still several days away from my date of departure.

No. I remembered everything up until this point as if it actually happened...it couldn't be a dream, right?

Dream or not, I needed to stop wasting time and get on that ship. It would be a shame to waste this golden and outrageous opportunity that made me question my sanity. I picked up my pace again and jogged over to the frozen officer, still in the middle of calling out to the crowd with a hand cupped around his mouth.

Do I even bother giving him my ticket? I shrugged. Might as well. I pulled out the folded paper in my coat pocket and carefully tucked it into the hand near his mouth. The whole thing was a little eerie.

I took one last sweeping glance over the docks, reveling in the fact that I was the only moving being in almost quite literally a sea of statues. I made a mental note to have a nice chat with Uncle about all of this when I got back. With a turn of my heel, I made a running jump and leaped over the couple feet of exposed sea where the bridge had already retracted. I landed neatly on the platform that gave way to the ships side deck and smiled to myself, maybe I should start pleading more often.

Squeezing between several unmoving bodies, I tucked a few strands of my short chestnut hair behind my ear and gazed down over the railing below into the solid ocean. Not a single movement. No waves, no wind, nothing. I wonder what would happen if I jumped in? Before I gave way to my fantasies and hurt myself, I quickly turned away and started for the main deck. Many people had been standing in groups, talking perhaps, although I wouldn't be able to tell now. Most were lined against the railings facing the docks, their arms raised about their heads in mid-wave. A sad smile graced my lips. Thanks for seeing me off, Uncle. Growing tired of looking at the frozen scene ahead of me, I turned around and headed for the stairs that most likely lead below deck.

That's when the ship gave a terrible lurch.

I stumbled a few feet, barely regaining my balance. I let out a reliving sigh only to be completely thrown onto the deck after a second shake. I looked around frantically, desperately trying to find the source of the movement in a world full of immobility. Nothing. Only frozen people and solid air.

My eyes scanned over the masses of passengers and suddenly a particular one caught my eye- a man clothed in a dark robe stood away from everyone else in the corner of the deck. There was something different about him, I could feel it in my fingers and it sent shivers down my neck. Something was...off...

I squinted my eyes, attempted to get a better look at him but all I could make out was the hood cover his face. He had his hands together in front of him as is he was praying but he was facing towards...me? I began to slowly stand to my feet and took a step towards the hooded figure. His lips were moving but his gaze never faltered, the shivers began to feel more like tremors.

"Excuse me, what-"

Before I knew what was happening, I was on the ground once more with the side of my face smashed against the wood. I laid there for a few moments, trying to regain my senses and allow enough time for the throbbing in my head to subside. Groaning, I slowly opened my eyes to see a seagull poking at the deck, probably looking for something to eat. Wait. A seagull was moving.

There were voices coming from behind me, "Miss, are you alright? Do you need some help?"

I groaned and clutched my head as I pushed myself up and sat on my heels. A concerned looking blonde man was staring down at me, a few others had crowded around as well.

"I...yeah, I'm fine." The man extended a hand to me and I gratefully allowed him to pull me to my feet. I let my other hand drop from my head and blinked a few times.

"Are you sure you're alright? I can get you some water, or maybe something to eat?" He gave me another concerned look before lightly touching my forearm. The sensation seemed to wake me from my stupor, everything was back to normal. I glanced around at all of the bustling people around me- excited chatter assaulted me from every direction. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't starting to miss it, even if it only had been a few minutes. The floor below me swayed rhythmically and I realized that we must be moving. Sure enough, I glanced past the man's shoulder and watched as the docks slowly began shrinking into the distance.

"Miss?"

I jolted at his words and met his eyes with a sheepish smile, "Sorry! I'm not crazy, I promise. Just trying to regain my dignity, that's all."

His lips finally broke free of his slight frown and twitched slightly, betraying a small smile, "Well, you're not doing a very good job. Maybe you should tell me your name just in case you have amnesia."

"You're a sly one, aren't you," I said with a laugh.

He shrugged his shoulders, "I do what I can."

I stuck out a hand, "Molly, nice to meet you-"

"Gill," He grasped it with his own, giving a sturdy shake. He's done this many times before, I observed. Lawyer? Sales rep? Businessman?

"Hey, listen. I'm going to go ahead and get checked in to my room and get situated," he pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the stairs behind him. "But if you'd like to meet in the dining hall for dinner, I'll be there around six. That way I can check to see if you're having any post-concussion symptoms," he said with a small smile. He was actually more handsome than I gave him credit for at initial glance.

"Right. Post-concussion symptoms," I chuckled. "I'll see you at six."

He gave me a nod and began to walk backwards, "Try not to fall while I'm gone!" Then turned around and disappeared below deck. I smiled at his comment before turning around myself and walked in the opposite direction towards the bow of the ship. The sun was beginning to lower itself in the sky, giving off a faint orange reflection on top of the ocean's waves. Early evening. It was beautiful really.

Slowly, my thoughts began to drift away from Gill and instead started morphing into the dark shape of the man in the robes. It was odd enough that I just experienced a scene straight out of a Sci-Fi movie, but to see that man, the only other moving being besides myself and to feel his ominous aura...it was surreal. These things don't happen. Maybe I just imagined it? I did after all wake up on the deck of the ship, maybe I just nearly made it on board and then hit my head and collapsed. I dreamed everything else. Yeah, that's it. Just a weird dream.

I sighed and shoved my hands into my coats pockets as I watched the waves meet the horizon in the distance. Writing things off as dreams seemed to be a common occurrence lately. Frowning, my hand closed around a round object in my left pocket. Strange, I usually kept them empty. I watched as I pulled out the same pocket watch that I had deposited in that mother's purse back on the docks. Then why did I still have it? At least I _thought _I had dropped it in there. No, I was sure of it.

I glimpsed back over my shoulder as if I'd still be able to get to her now. My heart sank, there was no way I'd find her ever again. How had this managed to happen?

I held the clock up to the light so I could get a better look at it. It was small and silver, cold to the touch, and complete with intricate engravings of eloquent lines that formed leaves and swirls. The hands seemed to be ticking normally; half past five. I shook my head and shoved it back in my pocket. I had enough strange occurrences today- it was time to do something normal for a change; like meet a handsome man for dinner. I smiled.

I glanced down at the luggage in my hand, maybe I should go find a room first. With one last look at the setting sun, I turned around and headed towards the stairs. Leaving the daylight and it's secrets behind; if only for the night.

* * *

**A/N: **I apologize for the length of that chapter, it's not too usual for me to post over 4,000 words. But this chapter set up a lot for what's to come and it never felt right at any point to continue it in the next one.

If you were looking for a story that followed a traditional: ring the bells, save the land, fall in love- then you have stumbled upon the wrong story. As you can see I've decided to take this in a completely unorthodox direction, I hope that doesn't disappoint some of you. However, there _will _be romance, do not fear. I know that's a big deal within the Harvest Moon community. (As it is with myself. Guilty) But as to who is being romanced...I guess you'll just have to wait and see!

If you enjoyed it or have any questions/concerns or possibly any predictions, don't hesitate to leave me some feed back! You guys help shape what my stories turn into. (:

P.S. Writing this chapter made me want to watch Titanic.


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